Thursday morning would have dawned like any other day for the residents of Akaash Ganga Apartments in Sector 24, Rohini. But it was not to be.

Thursday morning would have dawned like any other day for the residents of Akaash Ganga Apartments in Sector 24, Rohini. But it was not to be.

In the wee hours of the day, three residents of the society were killed and three others were seriously injured in a bizarre end to a car chase.

Nobody could have imagined the events that unfolded shortly after midnight.

DisturbedAll six victims had gone to bed when trouble started.

Four men, apparently drunk and driving in a Maruti Alto, stopped by the society’s gate to fix a flat tyre.

Residents told police on Thursday that the four were shouting foul words. Soon, lights came on in the society.

“The residents asked these men to go away. But they started shouting at us. Our society president, Kuldeep Singh, then went out and asked them to keep quiet. At this, they hit him. But when more residents started spilling out of the gate and one of us called the police, the foursome jumped inside their car and fled,” said Ram Niwas Solanki, a resident.

One of the residents, Pramod Rana, decided to give chase. Five other men, including Singh, agreed to go with him.

The crashAll six got inside Rana’s Hyundai Verna and sped after the disappearing Alto.

“In an attempt to reach the Alto, Rana took the wrong side of the road. At the Kanjhavla Junction, which is around 100 metres away from Aman Vihar Police Station, the Verna shot under the rear end of a truck.

The truck driver did not see the car coming and Rana could not stop in time because he was speeding,” a senior police official said. The police said the car was doing around 160 kmph.

The truck’s heavy side tore off the car’s hood and flattened its top completely. In a flash, three of the occupants were dead and three others were fighting for life.

The driver of the killer truck called the police and all the victims were rushed to Jaipur Golden Hospital in Rohini, where Kuldeep Singh (42), Pravesh Tomar (47) and Naveen Kumar (40) were declared brought dead. Pramod Rana, Lal Mani (40) and Ajay Vishwas (36) were stated to be in a serious condition.

Police said Rana was not under the influence of alcohol while driving. They have recovered his licensed pistol, which he had carried along.

GriefAt Singh’s house, his eldest daughter said, “I know my father only tried to do the right thing. I don’t know what we will do now.”

Tomar is survived by his wife and three children while Kumar’s kin are visiting their hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

Police are now investigating whether the victims knew the four men they were chasing. A senior police officer said nobody outside the society had claimed to see a speeding Alto in the area.

“We have impounded the truck and the severely damaged car. A case of death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered against unknown people. The truck driver has not been booked because it does not seem to be his fault,” a senior police official said.